There are discrepancies in how doctors treat heart attacks between men and women. Some studies find that a misdiagnosis is much more common if the patient is female. It’s more likely that a doctor will decide she is suffering from a minor ailment, such as heartburn, indigestion, anxiety or a panic attack.
This can be a fatal mistake by the doctor. Say that someone is rushed to the hospital because they are having a heart attack. They get there in time for treatment, but the doctor sends them home and says all they need to do is rest and relax. At home, they pass away from the heart attack. Did this just happen because they were a woman?
Looking for male symptoms
It’s not that doctors are intentionally making mistakes or not treating women the same way they treat men. In fact, the problem may be that they are treating them exactly the same—when the reality is that men and women often have very different heart attack symptoms.
For example, shortness of breath and chest pain are the two main heart attack symptoms in men. This is often what doctors look for first.
But with female patients, they may be more likely to have symptoms like nausea or neck pain. They may complain of feeling tired or fatigued. Without the presence of chest pain, doctors often don’t think of a heart attack, even though that’s exactly what’s happening. The doctors are inadvertently applying male symptoms to female patients.
Your legal options
Have you or a loved one suffered harm due to medical malpractice? If so, you may deserve financial compensation.
